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So you time flow? Doesn't it make more sense to let flow flow?

by kimfuh 17y ago

pavs 17y ago
Good question. If you are conscious about being in the zone, while being in the zone, are you still in the zone?
- qaexl 17y ago
  If your attention seizes on the fact that you are in the zone, you'll start noticing yourself drop out. Your attention is no longer on the task at hand and your mental energy pours into that self-awarenes. If you let the observation pass you by as a ephemeral phenomena, living and dying naturally, you flow with the self-awareness of flow. Allowing the distractions to flow past you while you stay focused on the task at hand is what gives the optimal results. Trying to completely numb yourself to distractions won't work a well. That's why there's something in the Pomodoro technique where you make a hash tick and write down what you want to do later; it flushes that thought out of the queue. It also keeps your peripheral awareness opened up so that your right-brain-side can explore alternate avenues and come up with innovative, and occasionally creative solutions. If you stay focused strictly by blocking everything else out, you gain tunnel vision. In that state, a person crushes obstacles by banging his head against it enough times. Otherwise known as Brute Force and leads to Sunk Cost Fallacy. Physical relaxation is also very important -- so good, supportive posture, deeper and relaxed breathing. If you want to practice all of this in a deeper way, I recommend http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_eng... This concept and the way to enter "flow" is not new. It's pretty ancient. I've used the Pomodoro technique to configure my work environment, but mindfulness is what I practice to optimize my ability to perform.
matthew-wegner 17y ago
I use it as a way to push distractions aside. I have a hard time finding flow state unless I firewall myself from ongoing company concerns. 48 minutes--or whatever smallish number--is a good way to get some work done without feeling like I'm totally ignoring everything else. I mean, I am ignoring everything else, but only for a little, so it feels OK. I run a 3-person game development studio, so I have a lot of other concerns pulling at me (aside from the programming task at hand, or whatever I need to do on the project iself). It's always easier for me to hit flow when I don't have so much meta stuff to worry about.
raju 17y ago
I agree with your sentiment here. I have found that using a technique like Pomodoro or the 48+12 forces you to focus on a task, and you are essentially practicing to avoid distractions. There are times when I am so involved in a task that the 5 min break seems more of a distraction, so I just plow on. I guess the point that I am trying to make is it's so much the technique you start with, but rather what you end up with. Having mini-mental distractions seemed like the norm to me, but forcing myself to keep my mind on a particular task allowed me to go for longer periods without being distracted. After a while, you really don't need a tool to help you focus, but it's a good starting point.
- qaexl 17y ago
  The Pomodoro technique is a timebox mechanism, so it has benefits beyond triggering the state of relaxed focus. The sudden-death nature of a microtimebox like 25/5 and 48/12 is what forces you to eliminate the unnecessary. A person can stay in the flow and do lots of unimportant things beautifully. A timebox often means you make choices and then you keep going, staying in the present. Second-guessing is another form of distraction, as much as falling under Sunk Cost Fallacy. Another important note: it isn't so much that you avoid distractions as much as you stay in the present moment. Hindsight and foresight may guide your actions, however, you can only act in the present moment.

So you time flow? Doesn't it make more sense to let flow flow?

by kimfuh 17y ago

So you time flow? Doesn't it make more sense to let flow flow?

pavs 17y ago

Good question. If you are conscious about being in the zone, while being in the zone, are you still in the zone?

qaexl 17y ago
If your attention seizes on the fact that you are in the zone, you'll start noticing yourself drop out. Your attention is no longer on the task at hand and your mental energy pours into that self-awarenes. If you let the observation pass you by as a ephemeral phenomena, living and dying naturally, you flow with the self-awareness of flow. Allowing the distractions to flow past you while you stay focused on the task at hand is what gives the optimal results. Trying to completely numb yourself to distractions won't work a well. That's why there's something in the Pomodoro technique where you make a hash tick and write down what you want to do later; it flushes that thought out of the queue. It also keeps your peripheral awareness opened up so that your right-brain-side can explore alternate avenues and come up with innovative, and occasionally creative solutions. If you stay focused strictly by blocking everything else out, you gain tunnel vision. In that state, a person crushes obstacles by banging his head against it enough times. Otherwise known as Brute Force and leads to Sunk Cost Fallacy. Physical relaxation is also very important -- so good, supportive posture, deeper and relaxed breathing. If you want to practice all of this in a deeper way, I recommend http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_eng... This concept and the way to enter "flow" is not new. It's pretty ancient. I've used the Pomodoro technique to configure my work environment, but mindfulness is what I practice to optimize my ability to perform.

matthew-wegner 17y ago

I use it as a way to push distractions aside. I have a hard time finding flow state unless I firewall myself from ongoing company concerns. 48 minutes--or whatever smallish number--is a good way to get some work done without feeling like I'm totally ignoring everything else. I mean, I am ignoring everything else, but only for a little, so it feels OK. I run a 3-person game development studio, so I have a lot of other concerns pulling at me (aside from the programming task at hand, or whatever I need to do on the project iself). It's always easier for me to hit flow when I don't have so much meta stuff to worry about.

raju 17y ago

I agree with your sentiment here. I have found that using a technique like Pomodoro or the 48+12 forces you to focus on a task, and you are essentially practicing to avoid distractions. There are times when I am so involved in a task that the 5 min break seems more of a distraction, so I just plow on. I guess the point that I am trying to make is it's so much the technique you start with, but rather what you end up with. Having mini-mental distractions seemed like the norm to me, but forcing myself to keep my mind on a particular task allowed me to go for longer periods without being distracted. After a while, you really don't need a tool to help you focus, but it's a good starting point.

qaexl 17y ago
The Pomodoro technique is a timebox mechanism, so it has benefits beyond triggering the state of relaxed focus. The sudden-death nature of a microtimebox like 25/5 and 48/12 is what forces you to eliminate the unnecessary. A person can stay in the flow and do lots of unimportant things beautifully. A timebox often means you make choices and then you keep going, staying in the present. Second-guessing is another form of distraction, as much as falling under Sunk Cost Fallacy. Another important note: it isn't so much that you avoid distractions as much as you stay in the present moment. Hindsight and foresight may guide your actions, however, you can only act in the present moment.